Diego's Regret
by Peppermintswirl4812
Summary: A little cub comes to the island and Diego knew her mother. But why is he so desperate to keep the cub safe?
1. Chapter 1

Diego, Shira and the possums were out in the forest of the island. They had a son that had Diego's coat color and Shira's body structure

"Hows it going finding any lunch? You've rejected almost all of the prey I found," Shira said.

"Well, they were all either too close to the animals we know or were a part of the heard," Diego replied.

"Hey. Do you remember seeing any other sabers around here?," Eddie asked.

"Wait what? Where?," Diego asked walking over to them.

"Over there," Crash said pointing, the three where crouching down behind bushes. Diego saw the saber they were talking about. He was relived. It was only a cub. She was a pure chocolate brown cub with deep blue eyes. She was about a third of Shira or Diego's height, making everything about her body also a third smaller (Paws, height, length, teeth, claws, etc). Also making her around the same age as their son, Tony.

Diego roared and jumped out of the bushes to scare the cub off. The cub heard the roar and saw Diego coming. She froze. Diego stopped in front of her.

"What are you doing here?," Diego asked coldly.

"I-I," the cub shuddered, looking up at Diego

Her voice was high, but not too high that it was annoying, more like the young child high. It was also clear as day from her voice she was a girl. er voice also cracked a bit, but not too much, just when her voice went really high or shouted.

"Don't you have a pack to get back to or something?," Diego asked.

The cub opened her mouth to replied but then closed it, thought for a bit, and then just shook her head.

"No? …. What's you're mother's name?," Diego asked confused.

"Um…. Nina," the cub replied.

Diego stared at the cub, his face turned pale.

"What?,"

"I'm Perla,"

"H- How?," Diego said.

"Diego! What's going on? Scare her off already!," Shira called.

The cub reflected Diego's paleness as she also stared at the saber.

"Wait Diego!? My mom told me about! So this is where is where you've been? I can't believe you just abandoned your friend like that!," the cub yelled, her voice cracking slightly because of the yelling and speaking high at some point.

Perla ran off.

"No Perla! Wait! It's not like that! Please come back!," Diego yelled and ran after the cub.

Shira and the possums followed.


	2. Chapter 2

"Forget it! I don't believe the great stories mom told me about you anymore! Your pack Perla kept running. She couldn't believe it. Diego had betrayed his best friend according to her mother. She ran through the forest.

The rest of the herd saw her and Diego.

"Daddy?," a cub with Diego's colored fur and Shira's stripes with blue green eyes and a high pitched voice asked.

"Where's Diego going?," Ellie asked Shira and her brothers.

"I don't know. We saw that cub in the forest and Diego went to scare her off," Shira explained.

"Well good," Manny said.

"Except that after she did run off, Diego started running after begging for her to come back," Crash said.

"What?," Manny said.

"And he knew her name," Eddie added.

"What?," Ellie said.

"Why would he want a saber cub to come back?," Peaches asked.

"I don't know but we've got to stop him. Come on," Manny said and the entire herd started running after Diego.

Perla ran up onto a rock and looked down. She was at a river, the current was extremely dangerously strong, but there was a fallen tree, that created a bridge across it. Diego caught up to her.

"Perla wait!," he called.

Perla looked at him and then back down and onto the fallen tree, then ran midway across it. Diego ran onto the rock and looked down at the young cub.

"Calm down Perla. Just come back and we'll talk this over," Diego said gently.

He jumped onto the medium sized fallen tree, it wasn't very wide, but it was wide enough for Diego to go on comfortably.

Perla looked at him panicked.

promised my mom's pack you would come back with food for them! And then they all died except for you! You could have come back with the food for them, but you didn't!," Perla shouted.

Diego looked at her desperately and walked closer to her, making her walk backwards near the edge of the log.

"I understand you're upset. You have every reason to be," Diego said.

The herd caught up with them and they saw the two sabers on the log.

"Daddy!," the cub said and started running towards his father.

Shira pulled him back and put a paw in front of him.

"Hunter stay back," Shira said.

"Diego! Get back here! That current will kill you!," Manny screamed.

Diego ignored him.

"Just come back with me and I'll explain what really happened. Where it's nice and safe," Diego said, looking down at the current.

"No! Leave me alone!," Perla screamed and backed up some more. She was on the edge of the tree and her right hind leg slipped making the other hind leg slip with it and Perla dangle keeping her front leg claws in the tree, but she scratched the tree as she started slipping.

"Perla!," Diego screamed.

He grabbed her with a paw around the before she fell, but he fell onto his stomach, with Perla dangling just above the water.

Her ears flattened against her skull as she looked terrified at the water. Diego shut his eyes clentched his teeth, struggling to keep his grip on the fur on top of Perla back.

"Help me Diego! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaase!," she screamed.

Swinging her front and hind legs frantically.

"Perla," Diego said.

Perla looked up at him, just moving her eyes.

"Give me your paw, I'll pull you up," Diego said extending his paw down as far as he could.

Perla just barely managed to give him her paw. Diego strained and grunted with effort as he pulled the cub up. He just managed to get half her body up when his hind legs slipped. The cub yelp in fear. He grabbed her by the scruff with his teeth before he let go with his paws, making the cub go limp. Half his body was dangling now as his hind claws started scratching up the log making them both go further down. He quivered. He saw the with of the tree , it wasn't too wide. He swung and sunk his claws into the other side. His hind legs gave away making his front claws slipped a bit and the two sabers' eyes widened. He climbed up the tree with all the strength he had. He made it to the top and swung the cub over the top before he pulled himself up. Sid stared blankly at them and then passed out. Still having Perla by the scruff he ram off the log and motioned for the herd to follow him back into the forest. They all walked in the forest.


	3. Chapter 3

When the heard and Perla were far away from the river Diego put Perla down.

"What were you thinking Diego?! That was crazy?! You could have died!," Shira snapped.

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have gone on there," Perla said.

"Don't be," Diego told her.

"Wait?! Who is this?!," Manny exclaimed.

"She's my nearest and dearest friend's daughter,"

"You're going to explain this," Ellie said.

Diego sighed.

"Fine," he said.

Flashback

Diego was just a baby cub playing with a brown cub the same age as him.

"Come on Nina," Diego said running.

"Coming,"

The two cubs ran around until Nina tackled Diego. The two laughed.

"Nina. We have to go," a male saber called down to the two cubs.

Nina got off her friend.

"Bye Diego," she said.

Diego looked down.

Nina punched him in the shoulder and laughed.

"See you later," Nina said as she ran off.

"Bye Nina,"

Flashback

The two adults were now fully grown adults.

"So you're going to avenge your pack?," Nina asked.

"Ya. Don't worry I'll come back with their left overs for your pack," Diego said.

"Alright. Be careful,"

"I will. Bye,"

"Goodbye,:

End of flashbacks

"Well, that explains a lot," Peaches said.

"Thank you," Diego said.

"You know everyone back home thinks you went insane and are dead," Perla said.

"They do?," Diego asked.

"Yes. The remains of your pack told us about what happened with the mammoth,"

"They did? What else did they tell you?,"

"Nothing. They got sick and died shortly after,"

"OK. Come on Perla. I'll take you back to Nina. I'd like to apologize for never coming back,"

Perla looked nervous and ran in front of Diego to stop him.

"You can't," she said quickly.

"Why not sweetie?," Ellie asked.

Perla turned around towards her.

"Your mom is probably worried sick looking for you,"

"So She's not,"

"Why not?," Manny asked.

Perla turned back towards Diego, she sighed.

"She's dead,"


	4. Chapter 4

The whole herd was silent in shock.

"... What?," Diego finally managed to say.

He was very pale. Perla looked down scanning the ground for a few seconds before looking up.

"What happened?," Diego asked.

Perla sighed.

"It happened 4 years ago…,"

_Nina was running through the forest carrying a tiny Perla in her mouth by the scruff. She was only half the size she was now. She kept looking behind her fearfully, running as fast as she could. She ran by a cliff near the ocean. She ran to the side of the edge and jumped into one of the bushes. She put Perla down._

"_Alright sweetie. Just stay here and don't come out until you don't here anyone except me," Nina said._

"_I- Yes mommy," Perla said._

"_Good," Nina said._

_She ran out of the bush. A pack of rival sabers came to the cliff. They pack started fighting Nina. Perla curled up on the ground on the other end of the bush, shutting her eyes tight and covering her ears with her paws, trying to keep the sound of the growling and roaring from the fight. There was splash and then it was completely quiet. Perla peaked out of the bushes. The pack was gone but Nina was nowhere to be seen. Perla looked all around the cliff for her mother._

"_Mommy?," she called out._

_There was splashing. Perla looked down. Her mother was in the ocean and looked very injured._

"_Mommy!," she called down, tears were in her eyes._

_A friend of the pack managed to hear Perla. She ran over to where they were and got Nina out of the ocean using a log. She had cuts and bruises all over her body, they looked very deep. Nina looked very weak. The saber put her on his back._

"_Come on little cub. I can help your mother get better," he said._

_He carried Nina and Perla followed._

_One day later….._

_Perla was still with her mother._

"_I….. love….. you…. very much….. Perla," Nina said weakly._

"_I love you too mommy," Perla said._

_Perla went outside and found a nice shell._

"_Mommy would love this," Perla said and went back to the cave._

_It took sometime for Perla to get back, since she keep having to put the shell on her back when it fell off. When she went back to cave, the friend looked sad as she left the cave her mother was in._

"_What's wrong?," Perla asked._

_The saber sighed. He took her into the cave and guided Perla to listen to her mother's heartbeat._

"_I'm sorry sweetie. I am so sorry," he said sadly._

_Nina's heart was no longer beating. Perla dropped the shell and ran out of the cave crying._

"_Little cub!," the saber called out._

_He ran after her. Perla stopped running once he got into the forest, but she was still crying very badly. The saber put a paw around her and pulled her closely._

"_It's alright little cub. Just let it all out," he said._

_Perla looked up with tears still in her eyes and rolling down. She nodded and kept crying._

_The next day….._

_Perla woke up._

"_Um… excuse me?," Perla said._

"_Oh good morning. Feeling better?," the saber asked._

"_Yes. Um… I've been thinking and I think it's better if I just go out on my own now. There's no one for me here anymore," Perla said._

_The saber was quiet for a moment._

"_OK. If that's what you want. At least, stay until breakfast and until I can either teach you to hunt or until I can see how well you can hunt," he said._

"_Alright,"_

_So after the saber hunted them some deer that they ate they went into the forest to see Perla's hunting._

"_Alright, you just stock the pray until your close enough to jump onto it with a small jump so it can't get away. You just start biting it until it's dead, and then you eat. Try on something small a rabbit maybe," the saber said._

"_Alright," Perla said._

_Once they found a rabbit Perla tried to hunt it. It took a few tries and a few different rabbits for her to get it right but she managed to do it. after that they went back to the cave._

"_So I guess this is good bye," the saber said._

"_Good bye, Mr. Hunter," Perla said._

"_Good bye, Perla," Hunter said._

_And with that Perla walked off, to make a living on her own._


	5. Chapter 5

"And that's what happened," Perla finished.

She looked sad. Diego also looked sad.

"O- Oh. Okay," Diego said.

"I'm so sorry Diego," Shira said.

"It's okay. Do you remember where the rest of the pack was? I would still like to see if there's anyone there, I could apoligize to," Diego asked.

"You mean the sanctuary? Sure," Perla said.

"Woah woah! Sorry Diego. We are not risking our family to go LOOKING for sabers," Manny said.

"You want to look for sabers? On purpose? Are you crazy?!," Sid said screaming.

Perla was the closest she bent down and flattened her ears.

"Ow! My ears are ringing! What's wrong with you?!," Perla said angerily.

Manny picked Perla up and gently tossed her away from the herd.

"Listen, I don't know if you are a trick or trap or what, but I don't like you coming here telling lies and trying to get my friend to endanger my family! Get out of here, don't come back!," Manny scolded.

Perla glared at him, then started walking away.

"Fine I knew you hervivors were never going to come anyway. You only care about yourselves! You never care about anyone else at all! And for you're information! I wasn't lying!," she said as she stormed off.


	6. Chapter 6

"Manny! She's just a cub!," Ellie scolded.

"I'm sorry Ellie. But I know trouble when I see it and that kid is trouble. Did you really expect me to just let Diego go with her?,"

"Yes!," Diego snapped.

"Because now she's an orphan and it's my fault," Diego said angrily.

He ran after Perla

"Diego! Diego come back! Shira can't you talk to him?," Manny said.

Shira glared at him.

"You bet I can. Hey Diego, wait up! Come on son," Shira said and ran after him followed by her son.

Ellie followed glaring at him.

"No Ellie-,"

"Oh save it dad," Peaches cut him off and followed her mother.

"Manny you're a cool dude, but that wasn't cool dude," Crash said and ran onto Ellie's back.

"Ya. When did you become such a jerk?," Eddie added and did the same.

Sid and Manny stayed behind starring.

Perla kept running. She ran to some rocks and jumped into a small cave out of sight. She went to the end of the cave and curled up in a small ball and started crying.

"Perla! Perla!," Diego called out reaching where Perla stopped.

He sniffed the air trying to pick up Perla's scent. He found it and jumped into the cave and saw Perla crying.

"Perla can we talk?," he asked gently.

"Just leave me alone," Perla said keeping her back to him.

Diego walked over to her and lied down. He put a paw on her back.

"Look, don't listen to what Manny said. He was just being protective,"

"Yes. I could tell how hard he yelled as he tossed me away," Perla said.

She had stopped crying.

"You know, you have a son, who may by jealous of this," a voice said behind them.

The two startled sabers stood up and looked behind them. It was Shira. She had come inside the cave and was smirking.

"I'm not jealous mommy. It's cute," the little boy cub said.

Shira looked serious at Diego.

"Do you really want to apologize?,"

"Yes. But Shira-,"

"Then it is settled. We. Are. Going. With or without Manny," Shira said stubbornly.

"Seriously?," Diego asked half in shock.

"Ya. Are you coming?,"

"Ready Perla?,"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Perla said and the three left the cave.


	7. Chapter 7

Manny saw the group walking with the cub. He raced to catch up with Ellie.

"Ellie! What do you think you're doing?!,"

"Don't take that tone with me Manny! We are going there for Diego whether you like it or not!," Ellie scolded.

They kept walking and Manny reluctantly followed them.


End file.
